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The object of this paper is an attempt to describe the complex identity of the Yiddish language itself and its users. Poland and the Polish language have played a significant role in both these aspects. Part one is a sociolinguistic overview of the history of crystallisation of Yiddish in the historical territory of Poland as the autonomous language of the national culture of Central and Eastern European Jews. Its fate after the Holocaust of European Jews is also described here. Part two is dedicated to problems with the genetic classification of Yiddish due to the language-forming processes accompanying its development. Yiddish is classified among mixed languages, since it came into existence as a result of Hebrew– Slavic–Germanic language contacts. Therefore, this part pays special attention to the explanation of the mixed nature of this language system and the role of Polish as an important contact language influencing the final shape of the contemporary Yiddish language.